Suchitra Mahato to undergo surgery

A day after she surrendered in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Suchitra Mahato, senior Maoist leader active in the State's Jangalmahal region, was admitted to a private nursing home here where she will be operated for a bullet injury.

“The preliminary steps for the operation are under way and it is likely to be performed in a day or two,” a statement issued by the State police on Saturday said.

Ms. Mahato was with Polit Bureau member of the CPI(Maoist) Koteswara Rao, alias Kishenji, when he was killed in an encounter on November 24 last year in Burisole forest of Paschim Medinipur district.

Questions remain

According to police, she was injured in the encounter and managed to flee from the spot but speculation was rife that she was apprehended and kept in police custody since then.

State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Biman Bose said he felt Ms. Mahato was in police custody for some time before she surrendered.